Mental Health is ... doing one thing well (not purrfectly)

Mental Health is … doing one thing well (not purrfectly) every day over a long period of time.

How many pieces of information will you receive today?

Facebook, twitter, emails can bombard and distract.

Is there a level of confusion in your life?

I read this recently

If you want to depress someone then confuse them.
Teach them in such a way that confuses the hell out of them and
give them a level of uncertainty about their capacity to do it.
Todd Herman.

What is needed is a clarion call of certainty and direction.

So it was with great delight that the other day Jesus came alongside and whispered in my ear.

Follow me and I will make you a writer of the soul.

I instantly recognised the echo of a former invitation.

Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew.
They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work.
Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.”
They didn’t ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.
Matthew 4:18-20

Three echoes

Follow Me

Did you know Jesus is on Twitter? He has 436,000 followers. I’m not one of them.

The type of following Jesus truly wants is more of following in his footprints.

I remember going fishing with my Dad. His feet would press into the moist sand a print that I would place my feet into. I was following. I just kept focused on where the next foot would fall.

Following requires undivided focused attention.
I will make you

When I am lying dead on the embalming slab I want them to find a ‘Made by Jesus’ label tattooed in some obscure place.

However being ‘Made by Jesus’ isn’t always comfortable.

Anne Lamott in Bird by Bird relates this story

“I heard Marianne Williamson say once that when you ask God into your life, you think he or she is going to come into your psychic house, look around, and see that you just need a new floor or better furniture and that everything needs just a little cleaning–and so you go along for the first six months thinking how nice life is now that God is there.
Then you look out the window one day and see that there’s a wrecking ball outside.
It turns out that God actually thinks your whole foundation is shot and you’re going to have to start over from scratch.”

What’s a word that describes this aspect of Spiritual Formation?

Vulnerability.

Those fishermen became vulnerable to the footprints of someone quite unknown to them. His wrecking ball swung, but so did his gentle encouragements.
Make you a …

What would Jesus say to you? Follow me and I will make you a …

Becoming Fishermen of men connected with Peter and John because they were fishermen. It was their regular work.

Becoming a writer of the soul connects with me because I love to write.

What are you most passionate about that Christ would want to make more of?

Writers write

When I wrote the first draft of this post the date was January 2nd, 2017. It’s that time of the year when you are pondering, mulling over and sometimes agonising over goals for the year.

I only have one goal this year.

To write 300 words every day.

Actually, it’s a little bit more.

To write 300 words every day using pen and paper.

Actually, it’s a little bit more

To write 300 words every day using pen and paper
marking off on a calendar every day when I have done so.

I know that I will have many other goals and important things to do. However, all of those goals and tasks will just have to swing around the goal of writing 300 words.

Having just one deeply important goal will give me focus and clarity.

I refuse to be confused. I focus, I write, I hope.

Mental Health is … doing one thing well (not purrfectly) every day over a long period of time.

Here is the challenge.

What is the one thing that Jesus is calling you
to be and do
not perfectly?

Is there some element of that call that you can do every day? What could be your one goal for every day this year?

Questions to Answer and leave a comment below

What was your gut response to Todd Hermans quote?
If you want to depress someone then confuse them.
Teach them in such a way that confuses the hell out of them and
give them a level of uncertainty about their capacity to do it.
Todd Herman.
Jesus says to you this day ‘Come, follow me and I will make you a …..’ What would it be for you?
Does having expectations of perfectionism hinder your ability to just do the one thing you would love to do?

Quotes to Consider

The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine. Mike Murdock
If you confuse you lose, noise is the enemy. Don Miller
Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life. Anne Lamott Bird by Bird
Success demands singleness of purpose. You need to be doing fewer things for more effect instead of doing more things with side effects. Gary Keller The One Thing
Make sure every day you do what matters most. When you know what matters most, everything makes sense. When you don’t know what matters most, anything makes sense. Gary Keller The One Thing

Barry Pearman

Image: Jan Kahánek